I’ve given money to a Peterborough panhandler only once in my life.
It was about four weeks ago across the street from the radio station, right in front of the Post Office at George and King Streets. I was hopping back into my car after mailing a few letters when a man approached me. He had some polished stones or rocks he wanted to give me in exchange for cash. I’m pretty sure it was one Lawrence Carnright, the accused in the recent assault case which resulted in the death of a British tourist in downtown Peterborough. After seeing Carnright’s photo in the Examiner it clicked as to where I had seen him before.
I don’t know what possessed me to give him money. My belief is that we hurt, not help people who beg on the streets. I am not referring to people who are trying to help themselves and need some assistance along the way. I’ll gladly give to anyone who is desperately hoping and striving for better days. But not to those who are simply looking for a handout.
I’m not sure if it was the nasty freshly-stitched gash on the right side of his face or the fact that he was offering me something in exchange for money but something prompted me to go against my core belief that day. He told me he had been jumped the night before by a couple of guys. Despite his shaky story, I gave Carnright a few bucks. He assured me it wasn’t for booze, I didn’t believe him, and I was on my way.
After reading the story about him being mixed up in the tragic events that led to the death of a British man, it’s a fair question to ask if I, in a small way, enabled the alleged behavior that resulted in another attack downtown? I think it’s an honest question to ask yourself if you’re in the habit of supporting panhandlers.
Here are a few other questions we need to ask: How do we address the problems of panhandling and poverty in general? Give people a one-way bus ticket to another town? Apparently a few cities have tried that. Obviously it’s not a solution but I have heard from more than one person ‘in the know’ that Peterborough has a reputation in other parts of the Province as being an ‘easy mark’ for assistance and that we tend to tolerate the panhandling more than other cities. Should we maybe take steps to change that reputation?
Also, whatever happened to the Mayor’s Taskforce on Poverty? It was one of the first things Mayor Ayotte began after being elected. It was a great idea. There were meetings and public consultations. But have things changed for the better?
Based on the number of times I turn down panhandlers each week, I’d say it’s business as usual.